2w ago

Its likely a very large percentage of people would choose to have been born earlier than they were if given the choice.

Not like 1912, but say 1979 instead of 2003 for a gen z. Now, if you would retain the knowledge you have now or not, thats up to the genie.

33 comments

I got it pretty bad being born in 1989 because of my ancestry, and I cannot imagine going through what my Dads generation went through. The only people I see taking this deal likely exist in a position of great privilege and excess because they are the only ones who may improve their conditions by going backwards.
- Yeah as someone with that privilege it would be cool to go back for nothing else to help with movements like civil rights or hell go back to reconstruction and do it right this time. Don't let the losers stay in power this time.
  
  While this idea has good intentions, the "privileged savior" is a toxic one. It assumes that your help would be accepted, appreciated, and necessary to "do things right". It also assumes that you wouldn't fall in line with the majority for your own safety, which I am willing to bet is more likely than not given the measures taken against those who supported those movements.
If you don’t retain your knowledge are you even you?
Philosophy of self is weird.
- This is such an interesting point I've never heard come up before, wow
  
  You should watch The Good Place. It comes up there once and I've thought about it randomly ever since.
In 1979, a LOT of people would not have the rights they have today, and others would lose medicine that keeps them alive.
I counter that we all weren't born late enough.
- Some folks would have easier access to their drugs though. Pre war on drugs might have some benefits
- I don't have high hopes for our future to want to have been born much later... climate change, economic crisis and who knows what else are already at the door.
  
  It'll get better eventually.
if i was cis and stayed white i'd vibe in 1950s or something. but as a trans person hell nah, i like having some healthcare, not much but some
- Stayed white? What do you mean by that?
  
  Presumably that OP is white and in the hypothetical they would remain white
Oh hell yeah. I'll take 1949, please. 18 years old during the summer of love? Sign me up and drop me off at Haight and Ashbury.
I feel the inverse. I kinda want to see what it would be like to be born, like, one million years into the future, or something like that.
- Born to whom? The species will be long extinct by then.
  
  Im fairly doubtful of that tbh.
I can't have been born earlier, I'd be dead! I was in the nicu for like several weeks.
I'd probably be dead if I was born earlier.
I'd say 1975 was a damned sweet spot for me. Medicine had advanced literally just enough that the life saving surgery I had at birth was a success. I had access to but was forced into the tech and comms revolution. Was right in time for the second wave of skating boarding, and got to be in on the very ground floor of snowboarding.
I honestly can't think of a better time to have been born.

33 comments